Karnataka has descended into 'Jungle Raj' under CM, Deputy CM: BJP leader Ashoka
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP leader R Ashoka on Sunday alleged that under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar, Karnataka has descended into "Jungle Raj" - where arrogance replaces accountability and intimidation replaces governance.
The Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly was targeting the Congress government over Shivakumar's statement on Saturday that the contractors cannot "threaten" the government, while assuring them an audience with the CM to address their concerns about clearing pending dues.
The Karnataka State Contractors Association (KSCA) representatives, who met the Deputy CM, said that the association would go ahead with its planned strike if pending bills worth Rs 33,000 crore are not substantially cleared in the next two months.
KSCA had recently written to Siddaramaiah alleging that commission for clearing payments in several departments under the current Congress government has "doubled" compared with the previous BJP regime.
"Jungle Raj in Karnataka! So now, in Karnataka, protesting for your rights is a threat to the government? When did asking for your rightful dues become threatening to the government?" Ashoka asked.
"Deputy CM D K Shivakumar has the audacity to say that contractors can't threaten the government - when all they are asking for is the release of Rs 33,000 crore in unpaid dues. When contractors are pushed to the brink, forced to strike because the government refuses to pay for completed works - that is not a threat. That is a cry for justice," he said in a post on 'X'.
"But in RahulGandhi's (Congress leader) pocket constitution, it seems citizens have no right to protest, no right to demand their dues, and no right to question corruption," he added.
Ashoka said, under Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, Karnataka has descended into Jungle Raj - where arrogance replaces accountability, and intimidation replaces governance.
"The so-called Karnataka Model has become a model of chaos, corruption, and collapse," he added.
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Pune airport runway restored after IAF aircraft snag; ops resume
Pune (PTI): The runway at Pune airport, which was temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft, has now been restored and declared operational, the Air Force said on Saturday.
The authorities at the Pune International Airport had earlier said that around 10.25 pm on Friday, a fighter aircraft experienced an undercarriage failure during landing, causing the runway to be blocked.
As many as 91 flights of airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, Akasa, and Air India Express, were affected due to the incident, they said.
Earlier on Friday night, the Air Force had stated that the runway at Pune airport was temporarily unavailable following an incident involving one of its fighter aircraft. The aircrew are safe, and there is no damage to civil property, it had said.
"The runway at Pune Airport, which was temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an Indian Air Force aircraft, has now been restored and declared operational. All necessary safety inspections and clearances have been completed. Operations are resuming in a phased manner," it said in a post on X.
Flight operations at Pune airport are being gradually restored. The situation has been brought under control with the highest priority given to the safety of citizens, a Defence PRO said.
